


Chemicals

by caethis



Category: Tales of Berseria, Tales of Series
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, an emo morosexual and his overly optimistic moron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-10-04 06:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17299907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caethis/pseuds/caethis
Summary: (Will be) A collection of ficlets to get in the groove.





	1. Chemicals

**Author's Note:**

> Titles are just random songs I was listening to at the time.
> 
> I've only played Berseria in Japanese so I'm not 100% sure of the English terms!  
> Or any speech quirks the characters have in English.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Rokurou can't sleep and finds Eizen on the deck. Then he can't hold back.

The rocking of the Van Eltia was keeping Rokurou awake. Normally, he would spend the night training but on the ship he found it difficult to find his footing. The young daemon was restless. He yearned to swing a blade but knew it was impossible with the incessant movement of the sea-faring vessel.

Sighing, Rokurou jerked himself up from the bunk and left the hold to head for the deck. Maybe some fresh air would help.

On the deck of the Van Eltia, the rocking was more pronounced, but the salty, cool air was refreshing. And the moonlight danced with shadows around him, easing his restlessness a bit. He stretched, taking in a deep breath of ocean air, and began meandering along the deck. On the opposite side, he spotted Eizen leaning over the ship's rail. He was gazing at a scrap of something in his hand, and Rokurou smiled. He knew what the malak was doing.

Quietly he approached. Eizen's face came into view; a soft smile on the blond's face betraying his stern personality. The smile was infectious. It creeped into Rokurou, forcing the corners of his lips upwards as he closed the distance between himself and the taller man.

"It's a shame you only need reading glasses, you look good in them," Rokurou prodded light-heartedly as he leaned backwards against the railing. Eizen startled and hastily put the piece of paper away, while swiping the glasses off of his face. His expression was decidedly more annoyed now.

"What are you doing up?" was the only thing the malak could counter. Unbelievably blue eyes stared at Rokurou.

The dark-haired man met them, his smile becoming full-blown. Teasing Eizen was a favorite pastime of his. "I haven't been able to sleep much since becoming a daemon. It doesn't help that this ship is rocking something awful tonight." He knew better than to bring up the letter. It was something Eizen wanted to keep private, but the group understood. Rokurou had caught the malak before reading the letters from his younger sister and every time it brought up a well of strange emotions. It was almost jealousy in a way. Since changing, emotions were a twisted maze to Rokurou; he shrugged them off as impulsions. But seeing the way Eizen reacted to everyday things made him rethink his understanding of what he felt.

Especially when he was privy to seeing Eizen lower his wall. When the malak read his letters, he was an entirely different person. In those moments the Reaper sat in a corner weeping at its loss of power as Eizen poured through every letter multiple times. Took in every word, every sentence as if they held the meaning of life itself. His piercing eyes twinkling with the sheer happiness of knowing that somewhere someone had escaped his curse.

Rokurou realized he had been fixated on Eizen's scowl as the two of them stood in silence for several minutes. Snapping to, he straightened against the rail and chuckled. "I guess I'm more sleep-deprived than I thought." The taller blond's only response was to continue staring, causing Rokurou to swallow hard. Why was he suddenly nervous?

Oh.

He knew why. There was something about the mysterious malak who claimed to have the world's worst luck that drew Rokurou to him. It was an impulse; something that made the daemon want to show Eizen that there was no such thing as fate. The only thing to believe in was your own desires.

And Rokurou had only one desire at the current moment.

He braced himself against the railing and stretched upwards towards the taller man. Tentative lips met the stoic malak's mouth, innocent yet driven by a strong force. Rokurou pushed his mouth harder onto Eizen's, trying to deepen the kiss, but pulled back a few moments later.

Eizen hadn't moved.

Rokurou laughed nervously. "Well, that wasn't the reaction I was looking for." The blond's expression was barely unchanged.

"What reaction were you looking for?" Eizen asked bluntly.

Rokurou returned his heels to the ground. "I don't know. Shock. Awe. Confusion. Disgust. Anything other than no reaction." He smiled sardonically, not wanting to show he was somehow hurt by Eizen's coldness. _I should be used to it by now, though,_ he thought to himself.

"Rokurou, I..." Eizen finally broke their eye contact by glancing down and sighing. "I know you're attracted to me."

The younger daemon raised his eyebrows in response. "How would you know that?"

"I guess your constant flirting was unintentional, then," the malak continued.

Rokurou let out a curt laugh. "It was maybe 30% intentional." His smile refused to leave his face.

Eizen looked at him again, this time his eyes burdened. "I've lost too many people in my life. I already took the risk of it happening again when we became friends. To take things further would be..." he trailed off.

Without thinking, Rokurou placed his hand on the other man's, squeezing it into the rail.

"You always overanalyze," the dark-haired man joked, his smile growing wide as he gazed at the gorgeous malak before him. He _was_ attracted to Eizen. Who wouldn't be?

Eizen stayed serious. "You know what I am. I know how this will end. And it doesn't end well for either of us."

Rokurou chuckled. "I'm a daemon. The assumption should already be it won't last. But just because you anticipate a certain outcome doesn't mean you shouldn't play the game. You can expect to lose but there's always the chance you'll win. Just like there's a chance your coin will land on heads someday." Eizen's expression softened, half in exasperation, but Rokurou was emboldened and leaned in closer.

The malak finally gave in. Eizen grabbed Rokurou's kimono and pulled him close, smashing his lips against the shorter man. Rokurou sighed and parted his mouth, inviting Eizen deeper into him. The blond tasted oddly sweet, mixed with the salty spray of the ocean. Eizen grunted involuntarily, sliding his left hand into Rokurou's hair. The kiss was short but invigorating, and Eizen almost forgot why he tried so hard to prevent it in the first place.

Then his senses came to him and he broke the two of them apart. "This is a terrible idea."

Rokurou could only laugh again. "I'm not exactly known for good ideas."

A smile slowly spread across Eizen's face. "Idiot..."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: James Mercy ft. Keaton Vegades - Chemicals


	2. Second Guess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rokurou is a jealous idiot.

Eizen was buried in an old book when he heard a knock at the cabin door. He set the book down and walked over to see who his visitor was. Upon opening the door he was greeted with Rokurou grinning ear to ear, thrusting in his face a bottle of sake in one hand and two cups in the other.

The malak sighed, but a smile tugged on his lips at the unexpected intruder he very much should have expected. He moved to let the daemon into the room and closed the door.

"It's not fair you get your own cabin," Rokurou remarked as he set the alcohol on the table.

Eizen returned to his chair and watched the other man eye the room curiously. "It's not mine, it's the captain's quarters. I just come in here when I want to read."

Rokurou picked up a bronze knick-knack from a display case. "I'm guessing the captain doesn't mind."

"Aifread and I spent a lot of time drinking and bullshitting in here." Eizen poured the sake into both cups as he talked. "Not to mention he was the only one who could see me at first. Wasn't much point to being elsewhere on the ship." He set the bottle down on the table, the clanging sound bringing Rokurou back from his exploration of the room. The daemon put the object back and walked over to Eizen, his arm outstretched to offer Rokurou one of the cups.

He walked past it to lean down and kiss the malak.

Eizen unwittingly smiled. Never predictable, huh. He looked up at the swordsman hovering close to his face with a dorky grin. "What was that for?"

"Oh," Rokurou's eyes slitted, his expression becoming flirtatious. "Just to make sure you know I planned on kissing you before alcohol got involved." He finally grabbed the cup from Eizen and sat down across from him.

Eizen tried to stay serious but his smile betrayed him. "I told you, more than friends is a bad idea." He reached over to clink his glass against Rokurou's.

"And I told you, I like to gamble," he countered, taking a sip of sake. His gaze fell just behind Eizen's head, at a yellowed scrap of paper pinned to the wall. It was a letter that was unmistakably written in Eizen's handwriting. Rokurou felt a slight twinge in his stomach.

"You and Aifread really are close, huh," he prodded, eyes returning back to the blond, who was scowling now.

"Is that an observation or an insinuation?"

"Hm?" Rokurou smirked, downing the rest of his cup. "Both," he said as he reached to pour himself another cup.

Eizen studied him, feeling the sudden tension coming from the daemon. "Are you jealous?" he asked, grinning slightly.

Rokurou's eyes went wide, sake stopped halfway to his mouth. "What? Of course not!" he snickered. But he felt that twinge again as he watched Eizen looking at him with a mix of amusement and concern.

The daemon already ran hot, but he could feel his body burning up. He set down the cup and stared at it. "I guess I am."

Eizen chuckled. "You really fell hard. I think you can blame being a daemon for that." Rokurou looked up at him, his ever-present grin slowly returning to his face. Eizen picked up Rokurou's cup and handed it to him.

"Or I just really like you," Rokurou suggested as he downed the cup again.

Eizen smiled as he went to pour him another one. "I can't imagine why."

Rokurou stopped his hand as he reached for the bottle. Before Eizen could ask why, the daemon was in his lap, knees settled around his hips, hands sliding across his neck and into his hair. Golden eye boring into Eizen as he closed the gap between them. Eizen knew he shouldn't let him.

But he wanted him to.

Lips ablaze with the daemon's heat were on his, needy and slightly wet with sake. He sighed from the sensation, which invited an eager tongue into his mouth. Rokurou kissed him frantically, as if he were certain this was his only chance. Eizen was used to the other man's energy on the battlefield, but he was overwhelmed at the moment. He was breathing heavily and could feel his face flushing. He slowly pulled Rokurou away from him.

Rokurou looked at him confused and panting. "What's wrong?" he managed to breathe out.

Eizen shook his head slightly, and looked up at the daemon. "I needed to catch my breath. You are intense."

Relieved, Rokurou smirked at him. "What did you expect?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: Khamsin ft. Anuka - Second Guess


	3. Yakuyoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rokurou gives Eizen a gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had horrendous writer's block. There's only a million different things I want to do for this pairing and I can't get them out, then I thought of this and hope it will help me get my other stuff done.
> 
> Thank you for all of the kudos. Every time I get one I am filled with more joy than you can imagine.

It was roughly three in the morning when Rokurou made his way downstairs to the inn lobby. As he rounded the corner he spotted his target lounging next to the bookshelf, engrossed in what he was reading. The daemon grinned and quickened his pace.

Eizen noticed him then and scowled. He placed the ribbon marker between the pages, closed the book, and set it down on the side table as Rokurou approached. "What are you--"

He was cut short by a grunt as Rokurou landed on his lap perpendicular, legs hanging over the arm of the chair. The malak growled his name.

"Calm down, there's no one awake," Rokurou remarked. It was true they were the only ones in the lobby; even the front desk attendant had gone into a backroom for a nap. But Eizen was not used to the swordsman being open about their not-so-open relationship.

Eizen looked up at his ridiculous smile, the annoyance in his eyes slowly fading.

Rokurou dug around in the pocket of his hakama. "Hold out your hand." Sighing, Eizen obliged, offering his left hand. He felt something small and flat hit his palm as rough hands curled under his.

Eizen looked down at the object. It was square with unfamiliar symbols stitched haphazardly into white fabric. At the top was a tied-off knot of bright red string. Eizen studied it intensely, pulse slightly quickening at the idea of seeing something new.

He realized Rokurou was being uncharacteristically quiet. Looking up, he asked, "What is this?"

The daemon's eyes seemed to sparkle as he replied. "It's called an omamori. They're made in my hometown." Rokurou shifted in Eizen's lap, turning toward his companion and resting his shoulder against the armchair. "'Though, since I made this one I can't guarantee it'll work."

"I didn't know you could sew."

"I can't. But I've had to stitch up a few cuts in my lifetime. It's not so different."

 _Not surprised_ , Eizen thought. "What does it do?"

"It protects against malevolent forces." Rokurou pointed to the symbol at the top of the charm. "This means 'misfortune' so it should protect against your Reaper's curse, too."

"Does it work on you?" he countered. He couldn't fight back the smirk.

"Ouch. That hurts, Eizen." The daemon's smile grew broader as their gaze met.

Eizen was quiet for a moment, glancing over golden and red eyes and dark, chaotic hair. He was trying to gather his feelings before he said something he regretted.

"Thank you," was all he responded.

But then he found himself reaching out. Tucking Rokurou's hair behind his ear and exposing the daemonic side of his face. Rokurou closed his eyes, relaxing against the hand and sinking deeper into Eizen's lap.

"Just hope it works," Rokurou whispered as he buried his head against Eizen's neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The omamori Rokurou presents is one I get every year. "Yakuyoke" means "warding evil". Also literally a day or two after I thought of this idea I found a fancomic of this exact scenario and I'm not even mad, since this is exactly something Rokurou would do lol.
> 
> Also! I am @rokurourangetsu on Twitter please come hyperventilate about Eizen and Rokurou with me!


End file.
